This is Lakeview ~ Let’s Shop!

This month’s featured Lakeview business is M2 Boutique – my favorite place to shop for gifts and fun accessories.

Lynzie and I spent some time in M2 finding our favorite things to share with you – it was hard to whittle it down, there’s so many fabulous things!

Owner Mel Nelson has been in the neighborhood for over 10 years, and I’m also lucky enough to work with her as a vendor…she carries pins from Big League Pins! It’s really great working with business owners on so many levels. It makes living in the city a truly small neighborhood experience.

“A Very Fine Wine…”

I was lucky to spend a Saturday morning in February with Morgan and Dan – we were all lucky that it was a beautiful and unseasonably warm day!

It’s so sweet when there’s a little something personal behind the locations my couples and I choose for their engagement and pre-wedding photos! For Morgan and Dan, City Winery and Chicago’s Riverwalk mark a very special milestone in their relationship.

“Memorial Day Wedding”

It was the most lovely August day for Nicole and David’s Memorial Day wedding weekend! Much warmer than anyone anticipated, but that didn’t stop them from the fun, celebrating their big day with family and friends.

Starting the night before with the rehearsal, the celebration traversed the city, from Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, to downtown, to Lincoln Park and finally to the Gold Coast for their reception at the historic Germania Place, a Chicago landmark.

“A Celebration of Motherhood”

There are so many mom-centric moments in our lives – I’m very lucky to be part of so many of the happy ones, including my own!

Other than a few selfies, I don’t have photos that I’ve taken with me and my Mom together. But, this series of me and each of my brothers with my Mom, taken for her 70th birthday celebration by good friend Nick Wrzesinski, is really special to me. I’m so glad that I hired fellow photographer friends to capture the family – it made things so much more enjoyable and I got to be in the photographs, too! When was the last time you, as an adult, had professional photographs taken with your parents, kids, grandchildren, family? Do it now! You won’t regret it!

“Roses are Red…”

Hellooo, February! Hearts and flowers, chocolates and champagne, Be Mine and Valentine’s Day. It’s also American Heart Month. What better time to showcase the beautiful Red Lacquer Room at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago?

It was a crisp, clear winter day for Theresa and Eduardo’s celebration and everything was sparkling – from the suites at the Palmer House to the lights at the church to State Street and Michigan Avenue and, of course, the Red Lacquer Room itself. It was magical!

“Amour + Miłość“

It had been just over a year since I photographed Yvonne and Greg’s engagement session, and now here they were! Taking their walk down the aisle to become Mr. and Mrs.

Both come from strong ethnic communities: Yvonne’s Polish, and Greg French. I really enjoyed how they managed to blend and pay homage to both of their ethnicities, from the Sausage Cart and Ketel One on every table to the Parisian-inspired menu and details at the reception.

“Love in the Financial District”

When Monica and Tim said they wanted to use the Chicago Financial District and Union Station for their engagement session, I was very excited. That part of the downtown area is full of little alleys and interesting views. And Union Station…it’s gorgeous!

They liked to laugh and were so relaxed with each other – such a pleasure! And I was also thrilled to photograph their wedding.

“Fur Babies, too!”

When Yvonne and Greg asked if we could include their dogs in their downtown Chicago engagement session, I was excited! I love when couples make the session their own, adding pets or other things to the session that are significant to them. There was also champagne…

Lights, Camera…Action!

I’m used to being behind the camera, and occasionally in front of a video camera at weddings and events, but this undertaking was something very different. At weddings, the subjects are the bride and groom and their guests, so if I happen to get on camera, it’s just part of their day, as I’m part of their day. This, though…this was about me. And not just me, but me, making real photographs of real clients at a real engagement session. While being videotaped. And occasionally interviewed during the process. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!